Such a simple but deliciously easy dish to prepare using a well stocked store cupboard’s ingredients is my lamb keema recipe. When I worked for an accountancy practice, one of the clients I used to go out and visit would often feed me some of this for lunch that his wife had made. Bear in mind that they had two young girls who ate this – it would have me almost in tears with the heat – I’m such a wimp! Be assured that mine is nowhere near as hot as that, but it can be if you want it to!

2 medium onions

15ml Rapeseed oil

½tsp Cumin seeds

2 Bay leaves

1-2 chillies (according on taste)

200g tinned tomatoes

2tsp Garlic & Ginger paste (or 1tsp of each)

1tsp Turmeric

½-1tsp Chilli powder (according to taste)

1tsp Garam masala

500g Lamb mince

Salt

50g frozen Peas

Cup water

Fresh Mint

Fresh Coriander

4tbs natural yoghurt

2tsp Mint sauce concentrate

Finely chop the onions.

Heat the oil in a large pan.

Add the cumin seeds and bay leaves and fry off for 30 seconds.

Add the onion and cook until starting to brown. This should take 3-4 mins.

If you read my post on Saturday, you’ll see that we grew our own chillies this year, dried them and made them in to a hot & fiery chilli powder. Using a small amount of that powder, I made my own Jamaican/Cajun jerk seasoning. WOW!!! what a difference to the shop bought, commercially available stuff. It’s got punch and power and a lot of heat. I’m glad I didn’t put loads of powder in to it!

5ml Chilli powder

3cm Fresh ginger

4 Garlic cloves

5ml Ground cinnamon

5ml Ground coriander

2.5ml Ground nutmeg

15ml Soft brown sugar

2.5ml Dried Thyme

1 lime, zest and juice

30ml Dark rum

30ml Rapeseed oil

Place all the ingredients above in a spice mill.

Blitz together until fully combined and smooth.

Pour this mixture into a medium sized bowl.

Score your chicken breasts and toss them into the spice mixture, making sure that it penetrates the flesh to infuse the seasoning into the meat.

Cover the bowl with clingfilm and refrigerate for a couple of hours, until ready to cook.

When ready to cook the chicken, place the breasts into a hot pan, with a little rapeseed oil and cook on both sides until the chicken is cooked.

One of the recipes I’m sharing with you using the deliciously nutty and seasonal Jersey Royal Potatoes in collaboration with Asda is for a vegetable curry. Inspired from a recipe my husband found online, he’s adapted and cooked this one for me (as I’m currently recovering from having knee surgery a couple of days ago, and therefore not able to stand for periods of time). Thanks Will x

The ingredients aren’t set in stone for this one; add or remove ingredients that you do or don’t like. (I personally don’t like mushrooms, but he does, so they went in and I picked them out of my dinner). The Mange Tout came from our garden, the French beans were reduced in price in our local supermarket as they had to be sold on the day, as was the courgette. All other ingredients we had at home as staples in our cupboards/fridge. It looks like a lot of ingredients, I know!

30ml Sunflower oil

2.5ml Black Mustard seeds

2.5ml Cumin seeds

2.5ml Fennel seeds

2.5ml Fenugreek seeds

3 Cardamon pods

1 medium Red onion, chopped

1 large White onion, chopped

3 sticks Celery, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2.5cm fresh Ginger, grated

5 cloves Garlic, crushed

5ml Salt

Medium sweet potato, cubed

10-12 Jersey Royals, cubed

5ml Chilli powder

5ml Turmeric

5ml Cumin

5ml ground Coriander

1 whole Chilli, finely chopped

handful of French Beans, sliced in half horizontally

8-10 Mange Tout, sliced in half horizontally

1 cup frozen Peas

1 medium Courgette, diced

50g button Mushrooms, halved

Can coconut milk

Fresh coriander, chopped.

Prepare all your vegetables as above. You can keep the following together in bowls as they’ll be added to the curry together in batches:

Red and white onions.

Celery and carrots.

Sweet potato and Jersey Royals.

French beans and mange tout.

Peas and courgettes.

Mushrooms.

(This is how my husband preps his ingredients to cook – I have to leave the kitchen; it’s all too much organisation for me!)

2. In a large saucepan/frying pan with a lid, heat the oil and add your mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds and cardamon pods. Cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse the oil. The seeds may start to pop as they cook, don’t worry, this is normal.

3. Add the celery and the carrots, stir to coat evenly in the spiced oil and cook on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

Autumn is definitely on the way and what better meal to have than a warming bowl of fresh chilli. Not from a jar plucked from a supermarket shelf, but from your own fair hands and a few simple, store cupboard ingredients.

* if it’s not hot enough, you can add extra chilli flakes, a chopped fresh chilli, or some Tabasco sauce.

Basmati rice the Rosie way…

1. Tip the quantity of rice you want into a large jug.

2. Pour over boiling water to cover plus about 1-2cm above.

3. Stir to break up any clumps.

4. Leave it alone while you.

5. Bring a large pan of cold water to the boil.

6. Stir then drain your rice.

7. Add the rice to your boiling water, stir & return to the boil.

8. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

9. Cook uncovered for about 7 mins until the grains have started to fluff & it’s cooked (taste a few grains to check).

10. Drain & serve.

**You’re wasting your money if you add oil to the water. Oil is lighter than water and simply floats on the surface whilst your rice sits below the surface. It doesn’t stop your rice grains from sticking together (you pour it down the sink when you drain your rice)